Minor Ailments: Urinary Tract Infection

UTI is an infection of the urinary system including the kidney, bladder and urethra.

Most urinary tract infection involves the bladder and the urethra.

Women are mostly at risk of having a UTI more than men because their urethra is shorter, so bacteria has a shorter distance to travel up to the bladder in women.

Symptoms of UTI

Urge to urinate, burning feeling when you urinate, urine looks cloudy, strong smelling urine, lower abdominal pain,

Types of UTI

Kidneys-back and side pain, high fever, shaking and chills, nausea and vomiting

Bladder: pelvic pressure, lower abdominal discomfort, frequent painful urination, blood in urine

Urethra: burning when urinating

Antibiotics used to treat UTI

Nitrofurontoin, Fosfomycin, Sulfamethoxazole/Trimetoprim, Cephalexin

Causes of UTI

UTI is usually caused by Escherichia coli (E.coli) , a bacteria found in the GI tract.

Women are at risk of UTI because of their anatomy. in women the urethra opening is close to the anus and the urethra is close to the bladder. This makes it easy for bacteria to travel up the urethra to the bladder.

Risk Factors

• Female anatomy: women have a shorter urethra than men
• sexual activity
• certain types of birth control, like diaphragm, spermicide
• menopause: a decline in estrogen can cause changes in the urinary tract
• catheter use
• blockage in the urinary tract
• urinary procedure
• suppressed immune system

Prevention

• Drink plenty of liquids especially water to flush the bladder
• Wipe from front to back after urinating and after bowel movement
• Empty your bladder soon after having sex to remove bacteria from the urethra
• Avoid using irritating feminine products like douche, spray, powder
• Avoid drinks that irritate the bladder like coffee, alcohol, caffeinated soda, citrus juice

Pharmacist in Canada can treat minor ailments like UTI. In Ontario pharmacist can prescribe antibiotics to treat women with uncomplicated UTI. We can prescribe a short course of antibiotics for 3 days to patients who do not have any severe signs of UTI. Pharmacist should refer any male patient seeking treatment for UTI because UTI symptoms are often caused by sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as chlamydia and gonorrhea. UTI symptoms can also be confused with prostate issues in men.

References

Urinary tract infection (UTI) – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic